Hi all - I've just returned from a trip to Thailand and would love to start making some Thai food at home. I live in Westfield. Does anyone know of any grocery stores that would carry kaffir lime, lemongrass, thai basil, etc. that is a reasonable distance (within half an hour) drive? I've been to the Asian markets in Edison but don't recall seeing Thai ingredients specifically. Any recommendation is much appreciated!

Last minute plans for brunch this sunday on the upper west side, so no time to make a reservation. We'd like to try Calle Ocho's bottomless sangria brunch, but hear that it's very popular. Is it possible to get in without a reservation or should we not even bother? Thanks!

What is a "hot" lobster roll? Is it just that the meat is heated as opposed to mixed in a lobster-salad kind of way?

Since there don't seem to be many choices of lobster rolls with no mayo whatsoever, what do you think of the Raw Bar? I read on the restaurant review sites that they have huge chunks of meat with little mayo.

I will be in Cape Cod next month with my friend who loves lobster rolls but hates mayo. She went to Maine some time ago and had lobster rolls there that she claims had no mayo whatsoever on them, just big chunks of lobster on bread with maybe some butter and condiments? I've read this forum on lobster roll spots in Cape Cod but all of them seem to have mayo. Are there places that are lighter on the mayo? If the lobster rolls are made to order, would it be possible to order them without mayo? Thanks!

La Bonne Soupe is actually one of my fave restaurants and I was just there last Friday. We don’t have time to go there tonight though. We might check out Financier or Au Bon Pain. Thanks for the suggestions!

Hi all - I work on 53rd and 3rd and tonight I am meeting a friend for a quick bite tonight at around 7:30-8:00. I'm not looking for waiter service or anything, just a chill place to grab some soup, sandwich or salad. Something very simple like hale & hearty or pret a manger, but a lot of these places around me close early, like 7 or earlier. Can anyone suggest a similar type spot in the neighborhood?

We're taking my parents and my brother to Lupa for lunch this Sunday. We're going to be 5 adults total and I was wondering what you would recommend that we order. Are the pastas there better than the secondis? Should we do something like 3 pastas and 2 secondis for everyone to share? Which dishes really stood out to you?

Thanks everyone for all the great recommendations! I'm pretty sure we are going to order the margherita pizza and the gnocchi. For the second entree, I guess we'll see on that day what we feel like. We are leaning toward either the meatballs or the ravioli. :)

Hi all - my husband and I are going to Apizz this Friday after reading some stellar reviews. I was looking at the menu and the primis look like appetizers and the secondis look like pastas mainly. I was just wondering what's a good amount of food to be shared by 2? Should we order 1 primi and 2 secondis? We were thinking of the margherita pizza and the gnocchi. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your suggestions. Our guests have been to the River Cafe already multiple times. I went to EMP last year and wasn't particularly blown away. It was good, but I'm not sure if I want to go again. I guess I am debating between Daniel and Asiate. For those of you who have been to Asiate, how did you like the food and the experience?

I am getting married next weekend and my parents have a handful of high society friends who are not going to be attending. My parents would like to have a dinner with them after we come back from the honeymoon and they've asked me to pick the restaurant. They want a place that is impressive to people who have been just about everywhere, but not ridiculously expensive (under $150 per person), and my dad really wants a great view. I looked into the Rainbow Room, but $200 per person before tax tip and drinks seemed rather steep. Now we are leaning towards Asiate because of its fantastic views and beautiful interior. We also considered Daniel, which I hear has great decor, but my dad is really stuck on having a view.

Hi all, hopefully you can give me some recommendations. My friend and I are going for a half-day spa session in midtown in a few weeks on a Saturday for some pre-wedding pampering. We'll be done around 12-1 so we want to find a nice relaxing lunch spot in midtown (the place is on 48th and Madison) with light but tasty food. Not heavy on the carbs or oil and reasonably priced (under 100 per person). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sushi of Gari - sushi was great, but I thought it was overrated. At $130 per person, I expected to be more blown away.

Gramercy Tavern - I can't even remember what I ate.

Eleven Madison Park - I know this is a favorite on this board, but I had brunch there and was not impressed. Maybe their dinner is better, but their brunch menu was very limited and the food was just ok.

We drove by a weird looking restaurant somewhere between 23rd and 29th street the other day. The restaurant had strange horn-like structures protruding from the front. Actually I'm not even sure if it is a restaurant or a hotel. Does anyone know what it is?

I got reservations at Babbo by using American Express concierge services. If you or anyone you know has an Amex Platinum card, you can call them up and ask their concierge services to put the date on their calendar and they will call for you. I suspect that places like Babbo have a separate phone number for concierge because Amex was able to get us an 8pm reservation on that exact day with no problems.

Thanks for all the responses everyone. I wish I could see a picture of how big each dish is so we'd know how many items to order. We probably won't do the tasting menu since we kind of have an idea of what we'd like to try already. If anyone else has any other suggestions I'd love to hear it. Thanks again!

My fiance and I have reservations in a few weeks at Babbo for our 6 year anniversary. We are both pasta lovers and we love Italian food in general, but we're not sure if we want to do the tasting menus yet. If we go ala carte, how many dishes from each category would you recommend? Is 1 antipasto, 2 pastas, 2 secondis too much food?

My fiance and I looove to eat out and enjoy great food but with our wedding coming up in a few months, I have been sticking to an uber healthy diet. Can anyone recommend any good restaurants in downtown (but anywhere in Manhattan really) that has great healthy food that is not bland. We're into all sorts of food and are willing to try anything. It doesn't have to be vegan or vegetarian or organic or anything like that. Thanks!